Ben Rortvedt is a former 2nd round draft pick out of Verona High School in Verona, Wisconsin. Back in 2016, the Minnesota Twins – franchise known for drafting ‘local’ players in much the same way as the Cincinnati
Reds – plucked him, and he eventually made his big league debut with the Twins during the 2021 season.
He was dealt in 2022 to the New York Yankees alongside Josh Donaldson in the blockbuster that sent Gary Sanchez and Gio Urshela the other way, and the Yankees flipped him to the Tampa Bay Rays in a complicated three-team deal that involved Jon Berti (among many others). He ended up in Los Angeles with the Dodgers this trade deadline as catching depth behind Will Smith when he was sent there from Tampa alongside former Reds prospect Adam Serwinowski (who had just been dealt to Tampa as part of the Zack Littel acquisition).
That’s a lot of moving around, probably because he’s the owner of an 11.67 FIP and 2.50 WHIP in his career as a pitcher.
Jokes aside, he’s pretty valuable catching depth for a Reds organization that was in need of it, and that’s precisely why Cincinnati claimed him from Los Angeles off the waiver wire on Wednesday. The Reds announced the move on Twitter because they refuse to get off that platform.
Behind the dish, Rortvedt has consistently graded as a good defender with a great arm and pretty solid overall pitch framing, the kind of profile that would pair excellently with even a moderate amount of offense. The offense, though, has never developed, and that’s why he’s pretty well bounced around as a glove-first backup backstop – something that every team needs but never really wants to have to turn to.
Rortvedt will command a 40-man roster spot for the time being, and at age 28 is arb-eligible for the first time. The fine folks at MLB Trade Rumors estimated he’d command a $1.3 million salary for the 2026 season, though I do think there’s a decent chance the Reds try to pass him through waivers and have him around as their AAA catcher without a 40-man roster spot at some point later this offseason.
It’s also worth pointing out that Rortvedt and current Reds go-to DH Gavin Lux were both high school products out of the state of Wisconsin in a 2016 prep draft class that was pretty historic by state standards. So the Reds have that going for them, assuming both (or either) actually are still on the roster come Opening Day 2026.
